A-Z Challenge 2021 - Photo Shoot: N - Newport Bridge, Nuthatch

 The River Tees is crossed by many bridges between the town of Yarm and the sea. The only lift bridge carrying a road out of Middlesbrough does not lift anymore.

Newport Bridge

It's possible to walk along the river bank and get on to the path across the bridge and down the other side.

I have spent many hours trying to photograph birds in our and the garden next door. However I have had limited success in capturing a decent shot of this small bird (through our lounge window).

Nuthatch at a nesting box

Somehow I don't think I will be lucky enough to get anything as good as this - scanned from a bird book.

Birds of a Feather - Thematic Photography

Carmi couldn't have made a better choice of a topic for me this week.

Feathers abound on the grass by the side of the road along which I take my morning walk.

A feather down

And if that is not enough - 

Four feathers

But not from a thrush.

Tail feathers

However there is a sad tale to this as these feathers are all that remained of a wood pigeon demolished by a hawk.

Man, the worse predator of all, can also have a devastating effect.

Owl - a road kill victim

Other birds play hide and seek behind - 

The chimney pots

Jackdaw viewing spot

Discussing last night's soap

While sparrows watch the children cross

Some just watch the world go by.

Young blackbird on kitchen window sill

A much better place to be than behind glass at - 

Detroit Zoo - King Penguins

Some birds just have to pretend while - 

Waiting for the mail.

Meanwhile there is a work in progress for me - I'm trying to get a decent shot of this bird.

Nuthatch (image scanned from a bird book)

This is the best I have done so far from 50ft away and through a double glazed window.

Nuthatch clearing ivy from a nesting box

We saw this bird for the first time in our garden only last month; now it is a regular visitor.

Fortunately it's a little smaller than the bird we saw at nearby Preston Park.

However my favourite so far this year is one some of you have seen before.

Male Bullfinch

It was making itself comfortable in a hand towel while it recovered from the argument it lost with our lounge window.

Now is the time for you to recover to and fly over to see other 'Birds of a feather' at Carmi's Thematic-photographic-307.

A-Z Challenge 2013 - 'N' - Narcissus

My A-Z posts this year are based on my garden – flowers, animals, the birds and the bees, butterflies - with a bit of poetry thrown in. For some letters I am expecting to cheat somewhat – wishing they were here.

N – Narcissus, Nicotiana, Nuthatch, Newt

Although we have daffodils (D) in the garden they are outnumbered by a long way by this more delicate flower. Normally they flower in April but this cold winter and spring has delayed their appearance.

Narcissus

Given that Narcissus the youth was the vainest of the vain, are we right to assume that the Narcissus flower represents vanity?

Nicotianas on the other hand are ideal for decorative pots and are available in a variety of colours.

Nicotianas

Some birds are difficult to see and even more difficult to photograph; the tree creeper is one such and here is another we rarely see.

Nuthatch

The nuthatch he so agile be

As head first he descends the tree

 Although it’s quite common for us to see young frogs, newts are far from common; there are some in next door’s pond. Shakespeare’s witches might have problems here to fulfill their recipe.

In the caldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt, and toe of frog,

Common Newt

 Newts and blind worms do no wrong.

If gardeners need reminding of that, then they should also follow this advice:-

When the newt on my boot

Asked me not to pollute

I told him I’d give it a try.

Poems/Quotations:

• The Nuthatch – James Charteris
• Eye of Newt – Macbeth, Second Witch – William Shakespeare
• Newts – Midsummer’s Night Dream – William Shakespeare
• When the newt… - Joe Mohr

Photos:

• Nuthatch – Tony Hisgett, Birmingham – CC BY-SA 2.0 – Upload Magnus Manske
• Newt – Silverstrpher, Scotland – CC BY-SA 2,0 – Upload Sandy Rae